Planning for the future • delivering local priorities

Introduction

Liberty Property Trust is bringing forward plans for North of Horsham – a mixed-use, sustainable new community providing up to 2,750 new homes with a broad mix of housing sizes, types and tenures to meet local needs, supported by jobs, schools, amenities and associated infrastructure.

Liberty is a masterplan developer and we are committed to making North of Horsham a great place to live, work and play. As long term investors, quality is at the heart of what we do – from building design and landscaping, to public art and high-quality sports facilities.

We are delighted that councillors at Horsham District Council (HDC) backed our outline planning application for North of Horsham. This decision is an important step towards realising the new homes, jobs, schools, community facilities and infrastructure that North of Horsham will provide and that is so fundamental to the future success and prosperity of the town and district.

All being well, we are on track for a summer 2018 start. Our focus now is on progressing the detailed legal agreements and commitments with the district and county councils. We know that delivering infrastructure and services to support new homes and jobs is a key focus for local people, and these agreements will provide complete certainty over what North of Horsham will deliver and when.

Importantly, our outline planning application provides the foundations for future detailed planning applications and we are committed to bringing these forward in consultation with the council and community to deliver the best possible development for the area.

Planning for growth

HDC needs to plan for growth over the next 15 year period to ensure there are sufficient homes and employment opportunities for the district, now and into the future.

The forward plan for the district, the Horsham District Planning Framework (HDPF), sets out where the new housing and employment space should go. It also looks at how the associated infrastructure should be delivered in line with this growth.

Looking at least 15 years ahead presents an opportunity to plan properly for the long-term, enabling infrastructure to be fully considered, for example: roads, open spaces, recreation, education, health, culture, rail, and other services.

North of Horsham was included in the HDPF to provide much of the solution for the district’s long-term growth. The HDPF was declared ‘sound’ by an independent Planning Inspector and, in November 2015, was formally adopted by Horsham District Council as planning policy.